How to Identify and Use Your Transferable Skills to Change Careers

How to Identify and Use Your Transferable Skills to Change Careers Faster and Easier

If you are thinking about making a major career change, then you need to identify which transferable skills you have that make you an ideal fit for the new career. In this article we are going to tell you everything about how to identify your transferable skills so you can change careers faster and easier.

Below are 4 tips to help you find and use your transferable skills to change careers:

Take a look at the requirements of the new job and figure out the skills required with that opportunity. Carefully study the job description where you will find all the details about the skills, educational qualification and experience the applicants should possess. Now, that you fully understand the job requirements make a list of all the required skills; you can compare them with your own skills.

Compare the skills you already possess against the job requirements. Try to find out which of the job requirements are met by you and whether it is met completely, partially or not met at all. Now focus on the requirements, which you fully meet and think about how you successfully used those skills previously. If you can come up with concrete examples of the skills you have which are also required for the new job then consider your work done. Whenever you fail to meet the job requirements think about how you could acquire the skills, knowledge and qualification demanded by the job.

Try to find people who are already working in the same industry in which you are applying. Their feedback and insight can be immensely helpful for you as a jobseeker. Make use of your networking skills to find out the leaders of your industry and talk to them about the job requirements. They would help to access your skills and the honest opinion of an insider is sure to take you a long way. Now you need to review your knowledge, experience, skills and accomplishments and ask them to access if some of your skills are transferable. They can also warn you beforehand if they find any area of concern regarding your career change.

Keep in mind that any general skills you might have are very important for any career in any industry. Several of these general skills fall under the transferable category- skills like creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking are definitely transferable. Critical thinking is all about the power to make quick decisions and solve problems by taking appropriate action. Collaboration is all about one’s ability to work in a group and to come up with diverse groups. Communication skills imply the ability of the jobseeker to synthesize the situation and convey the general idea in words and in writing. Creativity is a rare skill that requires one to be innovative so that they can make a positive change happen.

The 4 above-mentioned skills are the most transferable of all skills. Therefore try to come up with innovative ways to demonstrate those skills so that you can land up with a desirable job.